Cafeteria



Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

2 SHhEfS-SHEET l.

G. L. N. MEYER.

CAFETEHIA.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1020. 1,412,254..

wmf Nm, QMIHI G. L. N. MEYER.

` CAFETERIA. APPLICATION ULEB' MAR.13, 1920.

Panted Apr 11, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' UNITED is:'faires'u PATENT OFFICE.

oEoReE L. N. MEYER, or MEWAUKEE; WISCONSIN.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. N. MEYER, a citizen of theUnited States, residin at ilwaukee, county 'of Milwaukee, and tate of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cafeterias, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to krestaurants of the type in `which the diners wait upon themselves, such restaurants being generally known as cafeteras. While cafeteras of the general type'have greatly lessened the expense of operation and consequently less- Aened the cost to the consumer, .they nevertheless have several defects, cluef among which are the confusion which results 4from end of the restaurant, as it is characteristic of the patrons to seat themselves .somewhere i near the first set of tables. It is to overcome these defects that the presentinvention is designed. p

Objects of this finvention are to provlde a cafeteria with the parts thereof so arl ranged andoperated as to completelyk sepa! rate the incoming and the dining lpatrons from the outgoing patrons; to eliminate the necessity for, and the use of trays; toeliminate the, carryi.ng of soiled dishes throu h the aisles to the kitchen; and to there y avoid the expense and confusion that usually result from the above enumerated operations.

I which a table and chairs areprovided as 'a unit and are caused to travel past the serving counter; to provide a cafeteria Ainwhlch a series of vunits each comprising a tableand -chairs travel continuously and uninterrupt---v ledly through a repeating cycle so vthat continuous operation lmay be maintained; toV

provide a cafeteriaY in which the individual units of the type noted above travel slowly back and forth throu hout the length of the dining room and t ereby securevan extended period of time in'which the diners may be allowed at their tables;to provide a cafeteria in which exit walks .are provided division of the restaurant.

Other objects are to provide; a cafeteria Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Apl". 11, 1922. ppncation mea March 13, 1920. serial No. 365,587. l 'Y `iers desk ;l and to provide a cafeteria in 5`5 which the chain of units above noted is therefrom after having been washed may be again readily placed upon the 'serving 60 counter-with aminimum of eiort.

In the drawings:l

,Fig 1v is a diagrammatic view showingtheentire cafeteriah and the relative positions of the various units. l

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section oforie of the units.

' ig. 3 is a-partial section on the line 3--3 .of F 1g. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View of one 70 form of 'driving mechanism.

Fig. 1' shows a dining room 1 and a kitchen 2 separated by av partition 3, the dining room occupying a materially larger kitchen by a partition 7 The door 8 for the lexit ofthe patrons is in unrestricted communication with the remaining portion of the dining room, the cashiers desk 9 beinglocated adjacent such door. The serving stand 10 is located adj acent'the partition 3 so that' the operators who stand between 85 the serving stand 10 and the partition 3 may 'receiveV dishes and food through openings 11 in the partition 3 from the kitchen 2 and may arrange lsuch articles upon the servmg stand 1.0.v At the remote end ofthe serving` stand, a desk 12 ,is provided for the operatorwho puts'the check upon the .table indicating the amount purchased vby theg:- patron. A 'series' of units 13," consisting each-,cfa platform ,upon which fare mounted. Y

a table and chairs,v are arranged in a regular chain or'series and arel caused to pass outwardly from thel kitchen along lthe line 14 through the compartment 5 where the waiting patrons are collected, Athereby allowing such patrons to seat themselves in I the chairs of these units. The units nowv pass along the line 15 in front of the Serv.

ing stand 10 and the patrons either with or without the aid'of the-operators may se- ,1M

lect what they desire and place the same upon their tables. As they leave the serving stand 1Q they pass by the desk. 12 and vThe entrance 75 an operator there places a check upon the table indicating the amount purchased by the patrons. From this point the units pass alternately forwardly and rearwardly along lines 16, 17, 18 and 19 finally passing at right angles thereto along the line 2O towards the kitchen. The patrons may therefore begin eating their lunches when they' pass the desk 12 and adequate time is allowed thevdiners by providing a sufiiciently long path of travel before the units again enter the kitchen. This elongated path is secured by causing the tables to take the sinuous path illustrated. When the tables arrive at the forward end of the path 1 6, the patrons may leave at such point or at an point thereafter until the wall 21 is reache through which the tables pass in entering the kitchen. An exit walk 22 is provided between the paths 17- and 1.8 so that such walk is available from either side thereof. As many of these walks as desired may be provided. An exit walk 23 is provided along the outer side of the path 19 and such walk y 23 is joinedc by `a' walk 24 at right angles thereto which latter walk lies adjacent the line 20. It will thus be seen that no confusion is caused by the patrons leaving the tables as all of the patrons after leaving the tables pass forwardly and finally by the cashiers desk 9 interfering in no manner with those who continue to dine. Further than this, it will be noted that the patrons do not have to huntfor their tables thereby annoying. those who are dining, but that the tables pass continuously by the incoming patrons.

Upon passing through thewall 21 the tables pass forwardly by a dishwashing outfit 25 where the dishes are removed, washed and redistributed through the openings 11 in the partition 3 tothe operators upon the other side thereof. As the tables pass fors wardly along the path 26 through the kitchen they may be wiped ofi', reset, or otherwise operated upon to prepare them for the subsequent diners.

Figures 2 and 3 show one of the units which comprises a platform 27 mounted upon four casters 28. The platform 27 is adapted to be moved along the closed path as previously described by means ofa power driven chain 29 which is connected to the platform by means of a link 30 engaging a pin 31 fastened to the chain 29 and a pin 32 fastened to the platform 27. The rollers of the casters travel upon rails 33 which are provided with flanges 34 upon each side thereof and may be supported, not from the floor of the cafeteria, but from the foundation 35. Either pin 31 or 32 or a portion of the link 30 may pass through a slot 36 in the floor 37 of the cafeteria.

The platform 27 has rigidly mounted thereon a table 37 and a pair of chairs 3 8 set at opposite sides of the table. These chairs may be made so that each may accommodate two people if so desired. In order to facilitate passing around corners, the ends of the platform 27 and the backs of the chairs 38 are rounded as indicated at 39 in Fig; l. The table and the front of the chairs may be correspondingly curved if so desired. Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically the driving mechanism which may consist of a motor 40 belted or otherwiseconnected with a reducing mechanism indicated generally by the reference character 41, such reducing mechanism, in turn being connected to a driving sprocket 42 for the chain 29. This sprocket 42 may be any of the sprockets shown in Fig. 1 and may be located at the most convenient place. l

It will thus be seen that a cafeteria has been provided in which congestion of the patrons is prevented and in which annoyance is not caused the diners by the outgoing or incoming patrons. It will also be seen that the units substantially iill the doorways between the different compartments,

thereby preventing unauthorized passage of 'the patrons from one'compartment into the other.

I claim:

1. A cafeteria comprising a serving stand and a kitchen, a series of units arranged to pass successively and continuously in front of such stand andl through said kitchen, each unit comprising a platform carrying a table and a chair.

2. A cafeteria comprising a main'` compartment or dining room having an exit door, a kitchen located adjacent said dining room, a smaller compartment located between said kitchen and dining room and having van entrance door, a serving stand, and a series of movably mounted tables and chairs arranged to pass in a regular sequence through said kitchen, through' said smaller` compartment, by said serving stand, and

thereafter follow a sinuous path through the main compartment.4

3. A cafeteria comprising a serving stand, a kitchen arranged upon one side of said serving stand, and a main dining room upon the other' side thereof, a series of units con-A nected to an endless conveyor, each unit comprising a platform, a table, and a chair and arranged to pass around said serving stand through said kitchen and back and forth through the main dining room, the relative interval, occupied by a, travelling unit in passing through the main dining room and through the kitchen being properly proportioned to the time required for an average meal and the time required for cleaning the tables, respectively.`

4. In combination a cafeteria comprising a kitchen, an entrance compartment, and a main dining room, the kitchen, entrance compartment, and dining room-having doorunauthorized passage of the patrons from ways placing them in communication; and one compartment or room-into another. l0 an endless traveling conveyor comprising a In testimony whereof I ax my signature series of units each including a platform, inthe presence 'of two witnesses.

and a table and chair carried thereon, said GEORGE L. N. MEYER. conveyor passing through said kitchen, en- 4 Witnesses: v trance compartment, and dining room, and PERCY W. YARD,

(zo-operating withpsaid doorways to prevent THos. ARMSTRONG. 

